Biotechnologies: an efficient research-industry partnership
 Auvergne is stamped with a dual tradition of pharmaceuticals, with companies such as Merck Sharp & Dhome Chibret or even Sanofi Aventis, and cosmetics with, in particular, L'Oréal's subsidiary, LIDV. This tradition has urged the development of the biotechnologies sector which is backed by efficient research with 1,500 researchers in life sciences across one hundred odd laboratories. Today the region can boast fifty or so companies. Their development is facilitated by way of the all-round support given from the outset of projects from a specialised structure, BUSI.

 

Dedicated industrial estates
Four dedicated industrial parks offer optimum conditions aimed at hosting businesses, the development of innovation and technology transfer:

• - le Bioparc de Vichy : health-beauty-fitness/biomedical/nutrition-health
• - le Biopôle de Clermont - Limagne : life sciences/biotechnologies
• - le Biopôle de Haute-Auvergne : industrial bio-ingredients
• - le Naturopôle de Gannat : bioplants/nutraceutics

Additional research centres
 - one of the biggest centres of the INRA, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (French national institute for agricultural research)
 - the Human Nutrition Research Centre
 - the Lardy centre dedicated to health and beauty
 - the two universities of Clermont Ferrand
 - the hospital university centre of Clermont-Ferrand, the Cancer Research Centre, Jean Perrin
 - several laboratories of INSERM (Institut National d’Études et de Recherche Médicale (national institute for health and medical research)) and the CRNS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (national centre for scientific research)).